New in PJ Media:
“We are Muslims, not Islamists,” the new prime minister of Morocco, Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri, declared several days ago. In so doing, she aligned herself with a common assumption throughout the Western world — that Islam is benign and should be welcomed, while Islamism is the political, supremacist, and violent imperative that the West must resist, or else cease to be the home of free societies.
This distinction is taken for granted all over. Yet in reality, the gulf between Islam and Islamism is not nearly as wide as many non-Muslims assume. Despite Fatima Ezzahra’s confident assertion, the distinction between Islam as a religion and Islam as a political system that is radically incompatible with Western secular and pluralistic society simply does not exist in Islamic theology or law.
That means that while Baptists and Methodists and Catholics and the rest can read the sign on the front of the church and know whether or not it is one of theirs, there are no signs in front of mosques that say that it’s an “Islamist” mosque as opposed to an ordinary “Islamic” mosque. Although many non-Muslims would like to think that Islamists and Muslims remain far apart and have little or no contact with one another, and even that mutual animosity marks their relationship with each other, in reality, Islamists move among peaceful Muslims with no problem. No one objects to their presence or insists that the mosque they’re in is all about peace and tolerance, and that they should find another place to pray.
This matters because many in the U.S. and Europe today believe that while we should resist the spread of Islamism, we need not have any concerns about Islam itself. The Economist several weeks ago even went so far as to run an article entitled “Islamism is a threat to Britain. Islam is not.” Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri would seem to agree.
And yet not only do peaceful Muslims make no effort to keep “Islamists” from attending their mosques and schools, but what the West thinks of as “Islamism” actually has deep roots within Islam itself. Among the Sunnis and Shi’ites and Wahhabis and Ibadis and all the various sects, branches, and schools of jurisprudence of Islam there is not a single one that does not teach that Islam is a political and legal system, and indeed, one that is divinely revealed, and hence perfect, and to be implemented everywhere. And that political and legal system denies equality of rights to non-Muslims and women, denies the freedom of speech, allows for women to be beaten, and more.
There is more. Read the rest here.
PRCS USN (ret) says
https://occidentaljihadist.com/2026/08/26/my-crusade-against-the-term-islamism/
My Crusade against (the term) “Islamism”
Lizabee says
Agree. “Islamism” is a stealth jihad tool to fool Western infidels to think that there is a good and bad version of the evil ideology of Islam. I keep posting to Mark Levin on Truth and X about his deceptive use of the term Islamism which he did last night. He also parades his good buddy, stealth Jihadist Zuhdi Jasser, (who isn’t aware he’s a stealth jihadist) as a representative of the kinder and gentler form of Islam that can assimilate into Western society. I got Jasser to reply to me in a twitter pos (before I was banned on Twitter) admitting that he is considered a “heretic” by his co-religionists except for those who aren’t part of his miniscule ‘reformed’ group. Nonetheless, Jasser is also a useful idiot for the Islamic takeover of the West just like infidel apologists.
The biggest national security blunder was when Pres. Bush was an apologist for Islam after 9/11: https://youtu.be/fJ3Wpjd97G8?si=OdLJESNDkjoCTJOt
mgoldberg says
Think of all the homicidal slaughters across the globe just since 9/11… was there ever a tens of thousands muslims march against the violent Jihad- ever?? You get a few muslim individuals but never the mass marching against the Jihad. None that I can recall. After Oct 7th, this horrendous slaughtering of men women children, raping women and men, kidnapping and butchering- was there ever a mass march against the Jihad? No. There were concerted marches to ‘Free Palestin’ and support the Intifada. And this is world wide. I should correct myself though; there were marches calling for the end of Islamophobia many times.
Huh!?! says
There is only one: Islam. The rest is blather. The Left and Islam have effective con artists.
Westman says
There are two kinds of Islam in practice, compliant and noncompliant, yet only one in requirements placed upon the, “believer”.
ploome says
you ask
“What’s the REAL Difference Between Islam and Islamism?”
the spelling
Billy says
Islam’s Muslims are Terrorists of Allah against Non-Muslims with Muslim discrimination, segregation, violence, and terrorism as taught from Islamic Law and from Islam’s Qur’an(Qur’an 9:5, 29, 41, 111; 49:15, etc.). Islam is the daily practice of Islamic Law, Sharia, which is created from the Qur’an, the Sira, the Hadith, the Tafsir, the Tarikh, past Islamic Legal Rulings, etc., a collective demonic system, to solidify power and control. Furthermore, Muslim Islamization includes Muslim Criminal-Terrorist-Gang Organizations using Governments, Bureaucracies, Mosques, Muslim Homes, Muslim Schools, Halal Organizations, Islamic Centers, Sharia Courts, Muslim Non-Profits, etc. to fund, to educate, and to support Islamic Law and Muslim Propaganda against all Non-Muslims(Qur’an 1:5; 3:51, 101, 118; 5:3, 44-48; 8:60, 45:18; 48:29, etc.). Stop Public Funding of Islam and its Organization because they are against the West’s Constitutions. Allah in Qur’an 8:39 commands, “And engage in war with them[Non-Muslims] until there will not be sedition and the religion will be completely to Allah…”
Public Funding is a privilege that should NOT BE granted to organizations that are against the US Constitution or Western Constitutions. Totalitarian Islam and its Muslim Organizations including Muslim Schools and Mosques are against the US Constitution due to Muslim funding, teaching, and promoting discrimination, segregation, hatred, rape, violence, totalitarianism, and terrorism against Non-Muslims to make Islamic Law supreme WITH NO EQUALITY UNDER THE LAW. Islam’s Muslims are murderous, Totalitarian Terrorists of Allah operating as a Criminal-Terrorist-Gang Enterprise under Islamic Law to ultimately conquer the enemies of Allah, the Non-Muslims, with Islamic Law DBA Islam(Qur’an 8:60; 9:5, 29, 111; 49:15, etc.).
somehistory says
The “difference” exists only in the minds of some people….the people muzzies have convinced to believe there is a difference.
They use the same book of demon filth, they all bend their knees, back, and head to the same demon ‘god’ and they all worship the same disgustingly evil fake ‘prophet.’
Frank Anderson says
SH, please consider Viktor Frankl’s “Delusion of Reprieve” as explained in Man’s Search for Meaning. Many people HATE to confront that standard, orthodox, basic, “final, perfect, complete and unchangeable” Islam is a death cult that declared and waged a war of world murder and conquest for 1400 years. To avoid facing the reality, they accept a delusion there are “different” Muslims within Islam. The only difference I see is that one is willing to commit suicide to kill today while the other waits to kill while surviving the experience to kill more.
The butchers who slaughtered on October 7 are good examples. They were there to kill, not to die. They planned and prepared for years.
Walter Sieruk says
Two pseudo words are ‘Islamism” and “Islamist” that had made up after September 11th 2001 in order not to offend non-violent peaceful Muslims. As for the later made up word “Islamist,” the term should be used is Muslim terrorist.
It’s very important to call individuals and religions for what they really are .Therefore, the real word is “Islam”. As the devout Muslim President of Turkey, Erdogan, rightly, declared “Islam is Islam.”
del says
If it is important to call things for what they really are, don’t use the English word, “religion” to describe islam. In its own system, Islam is a “deen”, which, as others have pointed out, is NOT well translated as, “religion”.
If one attempts to project islam upon an alien western cultural coordinate system, islam is more accurately seen as an ideology believed on faith. The European Enlightenment allowed a bargain between religions and states such that religious belief was no longer to be coerced by the State, and in return, religious ideologies were to withdraw from the business of running societies. Although religions are ideologies, not all ideologies are religions.
As an alien ideology, which has some “religious” elements, but is inherently political, Islam has never entered that bargain, and likely never will, as that would be “shirk” and compromise with jahilliya, etc.
But it is to the benefit of islam for non-muslims to mistake islam as a religion. Muslims are well aware that having non-muslims treat islam as a western “religion” enables the struggle, the kampf, the jihad, against non-muslims. Non-muslims are obviously not aware, even here on Jihadwatch.
Voltaic says
It would be excellent if you could convince Governments that Islam is not a religion because then Islam as a “deen” might then be liable for paying tax.
But all religions seem to be inescapably political.
And see here, speaking of la France.
New students of the French Revolution can be surprised by this question: list the top three tiers of French society
(the King,
the Clergy,
the Nobles)
before 1789 in their correct order.
(Answer: the list is already in the correct order).
Religion is the highest of politics.
(But thanks I’ll take your cue and read up on “deen”)
Pray Hard says
Islam is islam. Islamism is a contrived word by leftists and it doesn’t exist.
Walter Sieruk says
The beginning of this jihad watch article quotes the new prime minister of Morocco, Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri, had recently declared “We are Muslims, not Islamists,” Well said.
Moreover in any dictionary or book about the major religions of the world that was printed and published before September 11th 2001 can that so called word “Islamism” be found It was made up to avoid upsetting or offending non-violent Muslims.
Nevertheless , it’s important to be honest in the use of words by engaging in what is called “plain talk:” in using real words ,and not fiction “words”
It’s best called things as they really are , Including calling Islam by its real name that it actually is which is Islam..
Jo Doezema says
Saying “Islamist” in the UK keeps us out of prison for hate speech. Mostly.
Tim gallagher says
Islam is nothing but evil, hate filled filth and is a load bullshit made up by a bunch of the worst human beings who ever walked on earth. It creates horrendously evil monsters who have a disgusting attitude towards all people who aren’t Muslims. Islam, Islamism, blah blah, all totally evil and toxic. In the Catholic mass there’s is a prayer glory to God and peace to people of good will. Muslims totally lack any good will towards non Muslims. They should be banned from all non Muslim countries because of their rotten attitude.
Daniel Bielak says
(Despite the title of the following excellent discussion, it is mostly about Islam and about Westerners’ refusal to acknowledge the nature of Islam.)
In the following discussion, Michael Gamal (AKA Koptic Kapara) says:
“What He Learned Watching Pro-Palestine Politics Turn Cruel | Michael Gamal” [with Dr. Richard Landes] [Infidel Awareness Month]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QgvVFOKwqkE
Daniel Bielak says
In the discussion to which I listed a link in my previous comment, Michael Gamal also says:
Daniel Bielak says
Correction: Not, “to a tea.” Rather, “to a T.”
OLD GUY says
It appears to me that all of islam supports islamist/jihad. They either commit jihad, support jihad financially or are totally silent about the acts of jihad against non-islamic followers.